Charge forming device



Feb. 27, 1945. F. P. ROUMILLAT 2.370 ,261

CHARGE FORMING DEVICE Filed may 18, 1945 5 I i a 4 III 1 I/IIIII/l/IIIIIIII 'III'IIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIII M Will/1111,1111!! 3mm p 5; yaoAA/wvT/(iea b,

Patented Feb. 27, 1945 UNHTED 4 STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARGE FORMING DEVICE Forest Pius Roumillat, Orlando, Fla. Application May is, 1943, Serial No. 437,507

2 Claims.

This invention relatesto a charge forming device.

An object of the invention is the provision of an arrangement which is associated with the engine and also with the exhaust pipe for heating and vaporizing heavy oils or other combustible materials so that the vapors may be utilized in a gasoline engine.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple and efficient unit of small capacity which will readily convert heavy oils or other heavy hydrocarbon materials into vapors which may be combined with the proper quantity of air for forming the combustible material to be utilized in internal combustion engines ordinarily operated by gasoline.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a small and compact unit which is in communication with the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine so that the hot gases of combustion may be utilized for convert-- ing a heavy fuel into vapors of such type that such vapors may be drawn into. the combustionchamber with a suitable quantity of air for operating the engine.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of an internal combustion engine showing my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view in section of a unit for heating heavy fuels applied to an engine cylinder. 4

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken alon the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a modified form of unit applied to the exhaust pipe of the engine.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, l designates an internal combust on engine normally operated by such fuel as gasoline of various grades and is provided with an intake manifold H, a vacuum tank l2, an exhaust pipe l3 and an intake pipe M.

The tank i2 is connected by a pip with the intake pipe l4 for the purpose'of creating a vacuum in said tank for drawing-fuel from a supply tank 2| through a pipe 22 which is in communication with the tank l2 as shown in Fig. 1.

I A heating unit generally designated by the numeral 25 is in open communication with the exhaust pipe l3 as shown at 26 and the temperature-vof the exhaust gases at this .point may run anywhere from 300 to 550 C. The unit consists of an inverted cup-shaped member 21 which has an opening 28 at its top- 29. The lower edge 30 the opening 2-6 in the exhaust pipe l3 and this lower edge is welded or secured to the exhaust pipe in any approved manner.

A container 3| is mounted in the opening 28 in the top 29 and is provided with a flange 32 resting on the top and secured to said top by bolts 33. The container 3| is thus suspended from the top of the member 21 and has its walls spaced from the inner walls of the member 21 to provide an annular chamber 34 within said cup-shaped member 2'1.

Thus it will be seen that the container 3| is directly in contact with the heated gases of the combustion from the exhaust pipe l3.

The container 3| is supplied with heavy fuel by means of a pipe 35 which is in communication with a valve 36. This valve is also in communication with the vacuum tank l2 by means of a pipe 31. The pipe 31, as usual, extends downwardly into the fuel in the tank |2 so that when 4 the valve 36' is operated by a rod 38 which extends to the dash of the automobile, .fuel wll flow from the tank to the container 3|. This container is always filled with heavy fuel.

An outlet pipe 40 projects into the container 3| andthen extends upwardly and enters a chamber 4| through the top 42 of said chamber as shown in 43..

The chamber 4| is the main heater of the heavy 30 fuel and consists of an outer shell 44 which is spaced from the circular side wall 45 of the chamber 4| and also irom the concave bottom wall '46 so that a. heating chamber 41 embraces the side walls and the bottom of the chamber 4|.

The top of the shell 44 and the top ,-42"of'the.

' extends downwardly and is threaded at 54 into the top of one of the cylinders 56 of the internal combustion engine, and supports th shell 44.

The bottom 46 of the chamber 4| is bowed inwardly and is provided with a plurality of grooves 51 in order to form ribs 58 and this.

construction increases the heating surface of the bottom 46.

A discharge pipe 60 has one end projecting into the chamber 4| as shown at 8|. This pipe exof the cup-shaped member is cut to conform to '55 tends downwardly and enters a mixing chamber 62 which is connected with the intake manifold ll of the engine.

The mixing chamber 82 is provided with an air intake as shown at 63 and the air entering the intake is combined with the hot vapors supplied to the mixing chamber by the pipe 80. The mixing chamber is in communication with the various cylinders through the intake manifold. a

A butterfly valve shown in dotted lines at 64 is operated by the foot accelerator in the usual manner. a

The operation of my device is as follows: The engine may be started in the usual manner by a light fuel such as gasoline or high test gas and after the engine has become sufliciently heated and hot gases are passing through the exhaust pipe I3, the chamber 25 will heat the heavy fuel in the container 3 I The chamber 3! is completely filled with heavy fuel from the valve 36 and tank I! at all times and this hot fuel is conducted by the pipe 40 to the second heating chamber II where the fuel restricting or enlarging the passage in pipe 1l in any suitable manner by making the pipe larger or smaller or by the usecf a valve a range of temperature may be had from a very few degrees to 1800 C.

Iclaim:

1. In an internal combustion engine having a mixing'chamber, a charge forming device comprising a shell having a fuel chamber therein, a second shell enclosing the first shell and forming therewith a heating chamber, means supplying said fuel chamber with a heavy fuel, the fuel chamber having one end curved outwardly from the adjacent end of the heating chamber and forming therewith an enlarged heating space, a pipe directly connecting the space with a combustion chamber of an engine cylinder so that the curved bottom will be subjected to the intense heat of the gases from the combustion is intensely heated and converted into hot vapors. These hot vapors are then drawn into the mixing chamber 62 and after being mixed with the air from the inlet 63, the mixture is then drawn into the combustion chambers of the engine. Additional air, however, is supplied through the cleaner i5.

As has been stated, the temperature of the heavy fuel in the container 3| is considerably raised since the temperature of the exhaust gases in the chamber 34 varies between 300 and 550 C. This heated oil is then carried to the second heating chamber ll where the heavy fuel is con: verted into vapors.

In view of the fact that the pipe 53 connectsthe space in the shell 44 located between the concave surface 46 of the chamber 45 and the bottom 50 of the shell, said bottom is intensely heated. since the temperature of the combus-- tion chamber may be raised as high as 1800 C. during the firing stroke, therefore, the hot oil which enters the chamber I will be converted into highly heated vapors before said vapors enter the mixing chamber 82.

In order to maintain the high temperature in the shell 44, an extremely small pipe 10 is conchamber, the mixing chamber connected with the intake manifold of the engine, a pipe connecting said fuel chamber with the intake manifold of the engine for supplying the engine cylindots with highly heated vapors, and means for 4 take manifold of the engine, a charge-forming nected between the shell and the exhaust pipe although the diameter of the pipe is sufllcient to carry off the gases in the shell. I

The pipe 10 controls the volume of hot gases device comprising a shell having a fuel chamber therein, a second shell enclosing the first shell to form an annular heating chamber of narrow width around the side walls of the first shell, the inner ends of the shells being spaced from each other with said end of the first shell curved inwardly to provide an enlargement of the heating chamber, the other end of the shells having a common closure formed integrally with said shells, a pipe supporting the shells on the engine and placing the enlargement of the heatin chamber in direct communication with the combustion chamber of an engine cylinder so that the curved end of the first shell is subjected to the most intense heat of gases from the combustion chamber and means supplying heated vapors of heavy fuel to the fuel chamber. 1

, F. P, ROUMILLAT. 

